Dispensing valve for pressurized dispensing containers



Feb. 2, 1954 K, BOYER 2,667,991

DISPENSING VALVE FOR PRESSURIZED DISPENSING CONTAINERS Filed July 11, 1951 &

E g INVENTOR.

F4459 K Boyae Patented Feb. 2, 1954 UNITED STATES PAT QFFICE DISPENSING VALVE FOR PRESSURIZED DISPENSING CONTAINERS a corporation of Ohio Application July 11, 1951, SerialNo. 236,204

7 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to a valve, more particularly designed for use with an aerosol container adapted to have its contents under pressuri'zed conditions and the contents dispensed by operation of the dispensing valve.

An object of the invention is to provides. valve suitable for use an aerosol pressurized dispensing container in which the valve structure is so constructed as to definitely prevent evaporation or similar deterioration with respect to the contents of the receptacle until it is desired to use the contents of the receptacle, at which time the valve is so constructed that it may be manipulated to puncture a portion of the valve, which operation under the control of the valve will permit discharge of the contents of the receptacle.

A further object of the invention is to provide an aerosol dispensing valve which is self-contained and may be incorporated as a part of the dispensing container and efiect a sealed condition of the container until suchtime as by an operation of the valve 2.- portion of the valvestructure is perforated so that prior to such perforation the receptacle is sealed against any leakage or similar deterioration of the efliciency of the receptacle for its intended purpose.

A further object of the invention is to provide an aerosol dispensing valve which maybe used in connection with a pressurized dispensing container in which the valve and its operating parts are associated with. a depressed portion of the container so that no part of the valve will pro-- trude beyond the plane oi'the adjacent portions of the tops of the side walls of the container.

Other objects will be developed as the descrip tion of the invention proceeds.

Reference should be had to: the accompanying drawings in. which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the valve structure with portions in section of the structure with which th valve is associated;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the valve and in part the receptacle structureassociated therewith;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation showingthevalve when moved to its puncturing position;

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of the valve showingthe position oithe valve when the pressurized content of the container is dispensed.

The container is generally represented at f and may conveniently be of cylindrical form, preferably the bottom closure of the container is concave, as indicated at 2; in order to resist internal pressure and the top member of the container which is indicated at 3' is concave so that there is provided at the outside portion of the container :1. space which as will be subsequently explained is utilized to contain a. portion of the operating part of the valve which will be maintained below the plane of the top portion of the side walls of the. container. This is a desirable feature inasmuch as it permits stacking of the containers without interference with any portion of the valve structure, and also'the fact that the outward portion of the valve structure is contained' within the space to which reference has been made protects the valve from accidental operation or impacts from the outside.

Associated with the interior of the dispenser is a tube or pipe 4 which extends from adjacent the top portion '3 to the bottom portion 2 of thecontainer. The valve structure comprises a cas-- ing 5 which at its upper part has a chambered portion 6 formed by the walls 1, which chambored portion contains and confines a packing 6a which is ofany material suitable for the purpose of forming a packing and: seal in a manner which will be subsequently described. The casing 5 has a chamber 8 adapted to contain a spring 9- under' pressure, which spring cooperates with the movable portion of the valve in a; manher later tobe described. The lower portion of" the casing 5 has a chamber to which at the lower part thereof isformed with a relatively thin wall section II which is adapted to be punctured by the movable portion of the valve, as will be subsequently described.

The casing 5 is adapted to be securedto the top wall portion 3' of the container and for this purpose the casing maybe provided with a flange 5awhich sets in a cup-shaped portion 3a of" the top of the container and is sealed in such position by means of a solder such as indicated at I 2 or' by any equivalent means so that th valve casing is definitely and immovabl'y attached to the wall 3.

The casing 5 at the lower part thereof is adapted to be attached and sealed to the end- 01 vided with a solid lower portion which is indicated at l5, and this portion at its lower end is provided with a beveled or pointed portion [6 which is adapted to engage with and perforate the lower portion ll of the casing when the movable portion of the valve is initially depressed, causing a puncture of the metal of the casing at the point H forming an inlet of materially restricted diameter.

The lower portion l5 of the movable portion of the valve is solid and is provided with an extension I1 against the lower part of which the spring a 9 impinges and which spring in turn at its lower portion is supported upon a shoulder 50 of the casing 5.

The packing member 6a to which reference has before been made has a central opening, the wall of which opening frictionally engages the valve portion [3 through which the said portion l3,

may move. When the movable portion of the valve is in the position shown in Fig. 2 the upper surface of the flange I! bears against the packing 6a so that there is provided a definite sealing action by virtue of the engagement of the packing member 6a with the top of the flange I! and also the engagement on the side wall of the hollow portion l3 of the movable portion of the valve.

This condition will'normally be maintained by virtue of the expansive action of the spring 9, plus the confining action due to the crimping of the walls 1 about the packing 6a.

At the outer end of the hollow portion l3 of the movable portion of the valve there is an operating member 18 which has a recess that receives the upper end of the portion l3 and interiorly the operating member I8 has a recessed portion 19 and a radiating duct 28 of materially restricted diameter, which duct extends to the outer surface of the operating member [8. Thus it will be seen that any content to be discharged which enters the hollow member I3 may be discharged through the chamber [9 and the duct 2!! of the operating member I8.

The relative position of the parts of the valve structure which obtain when the receptacle has been charged with its content and pressurized are shown in Fig. 2 and as will be seen the container with its valve structure is sealed against any deterioration by means of escaping of the pressure content or pressurizing agent within the receptacle prior to the time it is desired to dispense any part of the contents of the container.

In Fig. 3 the operating member l8 has been depressed against the action of the spring 9 and the lower portion [5 of the movable portion of the valve with its pointed surface has been moved to puncture the lower wall of the portion of the casing 5. When such operation has been accomplished and the operating member 18 is released, the action of thespring 9 is to position the movable member of the valve upwardly so that the shoulder I1 is moved against the packing member 6a and the opening 14 is closed by virtue of the frictional engagement of the lower portion of the hollow member l3 with the packing member 6a.

Subsequentpartial depression of the member [8 will move the movable portion of the valve so that the flange I! is moved away from engagement with the packing 6c and the opening I4 occupies a position below the lower surface of the packing 6a.. In this position there is sufficient space between the pointed end of the member I5 of the valve structure and the punctured opening so that the pressurized contents within 4 the container may find entrance to the chamber 8 passing around the portions of the valve shown in Fig. 4 and through the opening [4 and the hollow portion or chamber l3 to the exit duct 20. Attention is called to the fact that the relationship between the pointed end of the lower portion l5 and the punctured holein the lower part of the casing serves to atomize and break up the material which under pressure is being released through the valve structure.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the valve and its cooperating structure provide three restricted orifices and two chambers which are properly described as expansion chambers.

The liquid such, for instance, as Freon, under pressure and mixed with the material to be dispensed passes through the perforation, or restricted orifices H and into chamber 8. The chamber 8 functions as an expansion chamber causing a drop in pressure of the liquid, resulting in the formation of some gas and in breaking up the particles of liquid.

Then the combined mixture partially broken down into small particles passes from chamber 8 through the orifice l4 which is a restricted opening, with respect to the diameter of the hollow chamber l3, so that as the mixture passes into 7 the chamber l3 there is again a reduction of pressure due to the expansion of the Freon to thereby form more gas and a further break up of the mixture of the Freon and the substance carried thereby.

The mixture then passing through the restricted passage 20, is released into the atmosphere, again producing an expansion action with respect to the materials in question, and incident to the sequence of actions which have been described, what is left of the Freon becomes a gas and the material carried thereby is dispersed into the atmosphere in such finely divided condition that the said material becomes air-borne, which is characteristic of what is known in the art as an aerosol.

Commonly, aerosol valves which have been commercially proposed provide for a single expansion chamber with a restricted orifice leading thereto and a restricted orifice leading therefrom, whereas in the structure herein disclosed two expansion chambers with three orifices are provided, and from a practical point of view this is made possible by utilizing the upper portion of the plunger as a hollow chamber with a restricted orifice leading thereto. By the provision of such structure it is possible to provide the desired two chambers without increasing the overall dimensions of the valve structure and its associated parts, which is an important result not only from the viewpoint of cost of manufacture, but also of limiting the overall dimensions of the valve structure, which is quite important, considering the type of containers with which the valve structure is used.

Attention is called to the fact that after the valve member l5 has been moved so as to puncture the lower portion of the casing Sand when released returns to its normal position under action of the spring 9, to thereby move the flange I1 against the gasket or packing 6a, the future operation to permit discharge of material from the container is accomplished by means of depressing the valve part I3 so as to expose the exit hole or opening 14 to a position below the gasket 6a. .This is frequently called a tripping of the valve. If by any chance an object were accuse-1 laid on top of the valve or the valve were to be deeply pressedthe pointed end of the valve part 15 would enter the pierced opening, assuming essentially the position shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing, and would therefore cut off the emission of material from the container. This is an important feature inasmuch as it would prevent the wasteful discharge of material from the con tainer if per chance a sutficiently heavy object were laid upon the member 18 either carelessly or purposely.

An additional feature should be mentioned to the effect that the valve portions 13 and 15 are capable of rotary movement and therefore if upon piercing by the pointed end of the member 15 on the lower end of the casing 5 there should be a sticking action, the valve parts l3 and It may be rotated, which would serve to break any adhesive eiiect due tothe metal surfaces sticking because of the perforating operation.

The operating member H! as shown in the drawings is mounted upon the upper portion P3 of the valve structure. This member It may be disassembled from its cooperating valve part fit, which may be desirable in connection with shipping of the container with its installed valve. Frequently, a cover is placed over the upper depressed portion of the container in order to prevent injury to the valve. structure and in such event it is frequently desirable to have the member l8 detached and placed in the hollow portion of the upper end of the container so that it will not interfere with the proper seating of the cover member for the container.

The preferred form of the. inventionhas hereassembly providing threesealing points when the said assembly is in closed position, comprising. a valve casing having a lower chamber and an upper chamber, the lower portion of said lower chamber being provided with a bottom wall integral with the casing but of reduced thickness, the said construction forming an initial seal for the interior of the casing of the valve assembly, a packing member entirely enclosed and confined within the said upper chamber, a plunger having a chamber portion with a side wall orifice, there being a flange upon the said plunger normally in engagement with the under side of said packing thereby to form a second point of sealing for the interior, of the casing, the said packing having a, central opening through which the upper part of the plunger extends, the said upper part of the plunger being slidable through the said packing but frictionall'y engaged by the packing whereby the orifice in the side wall of the hollow upper port of the plunger is sealed when the flange on the plunger is in engagement with the packing thereby forming. av third point of sealing, a spring within the lower. chamber of the. casing and normally exerting pressure against the flange on the plunger, the said plunger extending to approximately the bottom part of the lower chamber and provided with a pointed end portion whereby when the plunger is initially moved to thereby break the seal between the side wall port in the upper hollow part of the plunger and to move the flange on the plunger from its sealed position, the pointed end 6 of the plunger piercesthe metal wall -at the bottom portion of the casing;

2; An aerosol self-contained valve unitadapted. for hermetic sealing to a receptacle havingcontents under pressurized condition comprising a casing having an upper and a lower chamber, a sealing packing within said upper chamber, a wall of said upper chamber being f'ol'dedupon the said sealing packing to enclose and confine the said packing within the chamber, said packing having a centralopening, a plunger having a flange intermediate its ends the upper portion of the plunger having frictional and slidable contact with the opening in the packing, and said upper portion of the plunger being hollow and provided with an orifice in the side wall thereof in the portion thereof within the opening in the packing when the plunger is in nondepressed position, the said plunger having a flange intermediate its ends, which flange is adapted for engagement with the underside of said packing when the plunger is in nondepressed' position, a. spring in the lower chamber normally urging the flange on the plunger intov engagement with the packing, thereby to provide fluid sealing condition between the flange on the plunger and the packing and a sealing condition with respect to the opening in the wall of the plunger.

3. A self-contained valve unit adapted for hermetic sealing to a receptacle having. contents under pressurized condition, comprising a casing, an expansion chamber provided within. said casing, the lower part of said chamber having a thin integral wall adapted to be punctured and thereby form an orifice of v a diameter materially less than the diameter of the. said chamber whereby the. pressurized material entering through such orifice expands upon entering the said chamber, a packing member enclosed and confined by a wall of said casing and forming in part a closure for the upper end of. said chamber, said packing being provided with a central opening, a plunger within the casing,. the. upper part of said plunger being hollow and provided with an orifice of materially restricted diameter with respect. to the diameter of the chamber in the Wall thereof, said orifice being. normally sealed by engagement with the said. packing member and when the plunger is depressed establishes communication with the first-mentioned chamber whereby material under pressure which has: been admitted to the first expansion chamber passes through the said restricted orifice into the hollow chamber of the plunger which forms a second expansion chamber, and meansv associated with the end of the plunger which is hollow having a restricted passageway which communicates with the hollow plunger: thereby to provide a restricted outlet passage for material from the second expansion chamber.

4. An aerosolself-contained: valve unit adapted for hermetic: sealing to av receptaclehaving con.- tents under pressurized condition. comprising a casing, the lower wallof said casing'havinga perforation therethrough which forms an orifice of restricted diameter; whereby pressurized material and the substance mixed therewith, entering through such orifice from the receptacle to which the valve casing isattached expands; within the said chamber, a packing member at theupperend of said chamber, means for confining the said packing with respect to the said casing, said packing being provided with a central opening, a plunger within the casing, the upper part of said plunger being hollow and functioning as an expansion chamber, the wall thereof provided with an orifice of materially less diameter than the diameter of the chamber in the plunger, the said plunger having a lower portion extending into the first-mentioned chamber, the lower portion of the plunger being provided with a flange of greater diameter than the opening in the packing,the upper portion of said plunger extending through the opening in the packing and in frictional contact with the opening inthe said packing, the orifice formed in the side wall of the chamber of the plunger being normally sealed by engagement with the said packing member when the flange upon the plunger member is in contact with the lower surface of the said gasket, whereby when the plunger is depressed, the pressurized material from the receptacle with which the valve is associated, enters through the restricted opening in the lower part of the firstmentioned chamber, into the chamber in the lower part of the casing, thence through the restricted orifice in the side wall of the hollow portion of the valve plunger and into the chamber formed by the hollow valve stem and means associated with the end of the plunger which means has a restricted passage of materially less diameter than the diameter of the hollow portion of the plunger thereby providing a restricted outlet passage to the atmosphere.

5. An aerosal self-contained valve unit adapted for hermetic scaling to a receptacle having contents under pressurized condition comprising a casing having a chamber there n which functions as an expansion chamber, the lower part of said casing being provided with a perforation or orifice of materially less diameter than the diameter of said chamber, whereby pressurized material entering through such orifice expands upon entering the said chamber, a packing confined by a wall at the upper end of said casing and forming in part a closure for the upper end of the said casing, said packing being provided with a central opening, a plunger within the casing, the upper part of said plunger being hollow, roviding an expansion chamber, and provided at the lower end thereof with a restricted orifice in the wall thereof of materially less diameter than the diameter of the chamber in the plunger, the aforesaid packing being provided with an opening therethrough and the said upper porr tion of the plunger extending through the said opening and in frictional contact with the wall thereof, the said orifice in the wall of the plunger being normally sealed by engagement with the said packing member, the said plunger when depressed moving the part thereof having the orifice in the wall thereof below the said packing member thereby forming a restricted orifice communication between the chamber in the said casing and the hollow chambered portion in the upper part of the plunger, means associated with the end of the plunger, which means is provided with a restricted passageway communicating with the hollow plunger and with the atmosphere, whereby material when released from the receptacle with which the valve is used, first passes through a restricted orifice into a first expansion chamber then passes through another restricted orifice to a second expansion chamber and thence through a restricted outlet to the atmosphere.

' 6. An aerosol self-contained valve unit adapted for hermetic sealing to a receptacle having'contents under pressurized condition comprising a casing having a chamber therein which functions as an expansion chamber, a restricted orifice in the casing at the lower part of the chamber, a packing member secured to the said casing by a wall of the casing and having a, central opening, a plunger the upper part of said plunger being hollow and forminga second expansion chamber, the said plunger having a restricted opening at the lower part of the hollow portion which opening is of materially less diameter than the diameter of the hollow portion of the plunger, the said upper portion of the plunger extending through the opening in the packing, the said packing serving normally to close the orifice in the upper portion of the plunger, means'associated with that end of the plunger which is hollow, which means is provided with a restricted passageway communicating with the hollow plunger and the atmosphere, thereby providing three restricted orifices and two expansion chambers.

'7. An aerosol self-contained valve unit providing a valve unit having two expansion chambers and providing restricted openings communicating with the respective chambers and a restricted discharge member from one of the said chambers to the atmosphere, which structure comprises a casing having a chamber which functions as a firstexpansion chamber, the said casing having an orifice in the lower part thereof of materially restricted diameter with respect to the diameter of the said chamber, a packing member mounted upon and attached'to the said casing at an open end thereof, said packing having a central opening, a plunger within the said casing and having the upper portion thereof hollow forming a secand expansion chamber, the said hollow portion of the plunger being provided with an orifice materially restricted in diameter with respect to the diameter of the chamber in the plunger, the

said hollow portion of the plunger extending through the opening in the gasket and frictionally movable therethrough, the opening in the said hollow portion of the plunger normally engaging with the gasket forming a closure therefor, said plunger when depressed moving the opening in the hollow portion of the plunger to communicate with the chamber in the casing and means carried by the upper end of the plunger providing a, restricted passageway connecting the cham. her in the upper part of the plunger with the atmosphere.

RALPH K. BUYER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS Number Name Date 1,324,206 Nickell Dec. 9, 1919 2,450,461 Wallach Oct. 5, 1948 2,496,258 Alexander Feb. 7, 1950 2,565,954 Dey Aug. 28, 1951 2,569,975 Cone Oct. 2, 1951 2,579,977 Sjolin Dec. 25, 1951 2,582,262 Loven et al Jan. 15, 1952 2,585,254 Kochner Feb. 12, 1952 

